Standard Lemma guide

impasto

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The use of a thick-bodied paint to create peaks and crests that physically extend from the surface of a painting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: painting

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To paint in thick-bodied paint; to paint in impasto style.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: painting

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

painting that applies the pigment thickly so that brush or palette knife marks are visible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: painting

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian impasto.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Polish: impast — the use of a thick-bodied paint to create sizable peaks and crests in an image
  • Russian: импа́сто (impásto) — the use of a thick-bodied paint to create sizable peaks and crests in an image